There’s a lot of splattered paint on the floor of Samantha Williams-Chapelsky’s unfinished basement but that’s cool with her. The St. Albert artist is more concerned with her creative output than the cleanliness in her downstairs studio.
Williams-Chapelsky is a rising name in the local arts scene and she has a lot on her mind. Her work is already on display with April’s ArtWalk at the Auvigne & Jones shoe store and Bacchus Wine Bar in the Perron District. But that’s minor compared to the three big shows she’s preparing for. One of those is going to take place in some pretty big shadows.
Dehra Dun, India is two hours north of New Delhi but smack dab on the southern plains at the foot of the Himalaya Mountains. In October she’ll be sending 20 pieces for a show in a little place called the Muse Gallery.
After checking through all her previous work stacked or displayed around her house, it seems she already has more than enough to send. Apparently, that’s not the case.
“I don’t have all of them done, obviously. It’s a lot and it’s a lot to get over there.”
She’s also preparing for the August opening of her half of a joint effort at the Art Gallery of St. Albert. Then there’s a sculpture show at the Naess Gallery in September, and something showing at La Crema Caffe (another smaller ArtWalk venue) next month. The recent University of Alberta fine arts graduate likes to keep busy, and she’s always been involved in art but it’s not her only interest.
“All throughout high school, I was very strongly into academics, thinking about going into engineering or science. I kept on excelling at art.”
She applied to fine arts and engineering and was accepted into both. She chose the arts as her path.
“It was a good decision, I think, because it really brought me into my own.”
Her current body of work rests in ethereal landscapes, wispy herb and floral still lifes, and fuzzy figurative studies. She admits she’s an emotional painter but obviously keeps a cool and collected persona.
Otherwise, she might be in full-on panic mode what with all that’s going on right now. The Dehra Dun show means international exposure, something she’s not entirely unfamiliar with. She won an art competition when she was finishing up her degree in Tuscany. There’s even a possibility of a second show being added to her India experience but that detail hasn’t been finalized yet.
“This is pretty exciting for me. I’m two years out of my degree. It’s hard to make a go of it as an artist and I’m truly trying to give it my all.”
To see more of her work, visit www.samanthawilliams.viewbook.com.
